Flicker
by roguehobbit
Summary: One-shot. Takes place during episode 20, "Grand Stream", right after the birthday party, but before Dio joins Claus in the vanship. Lucciola’s thoughts on Dio’s mental health.


One-shot

Flicker

Disclaimer: Last Exile does not belong to me by any stretch of the imagination.

Not meant as shounen-ai. I would appreciate it if this wasn't taken that way.

Special thanks to Auramistealia for beta reading this.

Spoiler Warning: may contain spoilers for all episodes up to and including number 20.

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Dio surveyed the gifts he had just received. They made a motley pile, but each gift had been given with much thought, which gave them a value greater then their worldly worth.

Dio lifted up the gift from Claus that was hanging from his neck. Claus's flight goggles. He pressed them against his eyes and blinked a couple times, adjusting to the lenses.

Turning around to face the door to the room, he said "What do you think Lucciola?"

A faint expression of surprise flitted across Lucciola's face. He hadn't thought Dio had heard him approach.

Over the last few days he had been giving Dio some space. Dio hadn't indicated that he wanted this, but Lucciola knew.

Dio had needed time to think. His birth week was approaching, and the ramifications of this event were causing him much anxiety, to put it lightly.

He had been losing control. And he did not wish for Lucciola to witness his weakness.

But Lucciola had not left him entirely alone. He had never strayed far from where Dio had holed himself up.

He had worried that if Dio was totally alone in the unstable state he had been in.....there was no knowing what he might do.

This fear had caused Lucciola to follow Dio after the party, even though Dio had told him to go visit Ressius, while he prepared to fly out in a vanship with Claus, to help with the search for Exile.

Even though Dio had seemed quite chipper at the party, and the gloom that had been stalking him these last few days seemed to be held at bay, Lucciola couldn't shake the fear. With Delphine so close, and with the idea of leaving the safety of the Silvana to fly out in a tiny vanship, Dio might suffer from one last overwhelming appearance of the frantic fear that had gripped him.

To Lucciola's immense relief, his foreboding was seemingly ungrounded. Dio had turned slightly away from him and was smiling broadly, still with the goggles over his eyes. He was also making noises that suggested a vanship in flight.

"It suits you, Lord Dio," answered Lucciola.

"You think so?" Dio said happily, taking the goggles off and studying them thoughtfully.

Lucciola took that as a rhetorical question and didn't answer.

Dio's moods still were something of a conundrum to Lucciola. But then Dio himself was a conundrum to most people, who knew what he would do when certain stimuli was applied?

Dio suddenly stopped smiling. His Covenant mark was peeping through his bangs, and he had seen the reflection in the lenses of the goggles.

One hand went to the mark and lightly touched it. His eyes shut, and the hand holding the goggles clenched for a brief moment.

An eye opened, and he flashed a smile. "Did you have fun at the party Lucciola?"

Dio's hand unclenched the goggles, and the other brushed his bangs in front of the mark.

"Yes, Lord Dio. It was very enjoyable."

"Yes, it was," Dio laughed and starting singing under his breath "Hey now, it's your birthday, get happy! Happy when you're born, happy when you're young, happy when you're old and grey!"

The birthday song Ethan had made up for the occasion caused Dio much amusement.

"If only- if only that was the only celebration of my birthweek..."

Another mood switch. Lucciola remained silent, watching Dio's face, which was devoid of emotion as he stared off into space.

Lucciola shifted slightly. Dio looked up at him. "Immelmann and the rest of the vanship reconnaissance team should be finished suiting up, Lord Dio."

Dio nodded. He placed the goggles back over his head, and turned towards the door hatch.

A final hesitation- would he step through?

Dio took a deep breath. One slow step over the threshold, then he was off, confidently striding toward the hanger.

He was going to do this. There would be no faltering now.

And if he stumbled, Lucciola planned to be there to catch him.

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Short, yes?

Please review. :)


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